2206
MAJORITY REPORT.
provide reasonably for the second. We are also satisfied that
there is ample justification for the proposition that the insurance
rights of men who have served with the Forces of the Crown
should be improved in the manner suggested and we, there-
fore, recommend that statutory provision should be made
accordingly. In the case of men who transfer to Approved
Societies on discharge from the Forces, we consider that the new
provision should take the form of requiring them to be treated
for the purpose of title to additional benefits as though they had
been members of the Society from the date of their joining the
Forces and that to enable this to be done the transfer values
payable out of the Navy, Army and Air Force Insurance Fund
should be augmented by the estimated share of surplus earned
during their period of service.
MERCANTILE MARINE—HFORBIGN-G-OING SEAMEN.
543. The original intention of the National Insurance Bill of
1911 was to segregate in one Society all foreign-going seamen
of the Mercantile Marine. Owing, however, to some conflict of
opinion between the leaders of the various interests concerned
the efforts made in this direction were unsuccessful, and we are
informed that the 100,000 foreign-going seamen insured under
the Act are distributed over about 1,600 different Societies and
Branches (Kinnear, Q. 23,769). The Seamen’s National
Insurance Society has about 40,000 foreign-going seamen
members and the National Sailors’ and Firemen’s Union about
20,000, while of the remaining 40,000, 24,000 are in seven
different Societies. We understand that the difficulties in the
way of forming a single Society for these men have hitherto
proved insurmountable, and that the main obstacle has been
the rivalry of the two large Societies which have between them
60 per cent. of the total membership of foreign-going seamen.
544. The foreign-going seamen are undoubtedly a difficult class
to deal with, owing to the nature of their calling, and many of
them are indifferent as to the surrender of cards. We were
informed by Sir Norman Hill (App. XXXI, 14) that the leakage
of contributions in the case of the Seamen’s National Insurance
Society was between 25 and 33 per cent., and we are given to
understand that a Departmental Committee which recently
considered the problem, while not accepting this figure, were
satisfied that the loss was substantial and far in excess of that
amongst landsmen.
545. Having regard to this considerable loss we have given
careful consideration to the suggestion made by the Seamen's
National Insurance Society (App. XXXI, 40-42; Q. 12,060-12.071,
12,086-12,089 and 12,146-12,165) and the National Sailors’ and
Firemen’s Union (App. XLII, 16: Q. 13,977-13.985 and 14.037-
